Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Reminds Me of Childhood Memories

"Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky"

This Is Hilarious!

OH MAN, THIS IS HILARIOUS! -Cuellar

It's Over Hillary

HILLARY IS RUNNING FOR THE 2012 NOMINATION. HER OBJECTIVE IS TO DESTROY OBAMA'S CHANCE IN NOVEMBER SO SHE CAN TELL DEMOCRATIC VOTERS "SEE, I TOLD YOU SO." AN OBAMA PRESIDENCY DESTROYS ANY CHANCE OF ANOTHER CLINTON ADMINISTRATION PERIOD! THE DELEGATE COUNT IS SIMPLE. ITS OVER HILLARY. -CUELLAR

READ THIS
Apr 30, 9:43 AM |
Obama campaign posts delegate countdown on website


Obama's new delegate countdown
The Obama campaign just posted a new delegate tracker on BarackObama.com and it will count down the delegates until he secures the nomination. It's something you won't see on HillaryClinton.com, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

According to the tracker, Obama needs just 288 more delegates to secure the nomination. That works out to 40% of the uncommitted delegates. Also, given that he's a lock to get at least 200 more pledged delegates, it means he really only needs 88 of the undeclared superdelegates -- just under 30%.

Bottom-line is that barring a catastrophic collapse, Barack Obama's delegate math is just unbeatable. Of course, the media doesn't want to tell you that story -- if people stopped paying attention to the primary campaign, their ratings would suffer.

As for me, all I know is that I barely watch news on television any more -- I just DVR the evening broadcasts and sometimes check them out. (And until the mainstream news blogs start covering the general, I won't be spending much time on them either.) I still do watch is Countdown, though.

Zito, Righetti begin reclamation project

Zito, Righetti begin reclamation project
Henry Schulman
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
(04-29) 20:56 PDT -- Barry Zito began his new job as a reliever Tuesday by doing exactly what he would have done as a starter. He threw a 10-minute, 70-pitch bullpen session that impressed pitching coach Dave Righetti.

"His side today looked like he was pitching-ready for a game," Righetti said. "I enjoyed that as a coach."

Zito has had good bullpens before. The issue is what he does on the mound, and Righetti understands he and his charge will travel a long and difficult road. At the end of the road, Righetti said, will be a successful starting pitcher.

"Personally, I think he can win with the stuff he's got," Righetti said. "I believe that. If you don't believe that, you can't coach him, right? That's the way I'm built. I believe it. He's got to make adjustments."

The biggest will be accounting for a fastball that rarely surpasses 85 mph and, in Righetti's mind, probably never will. Asked if he believes Zito can regain his velocity, Righetti said, "No, unless he has an operation, unless he does a Rod Beck and puts on 20 or 30 pounds and throws harder. But how can you throw harder? I've never seen it other than somebody getting hurt and getting a new arm."

So what does Zito do? One key is creating speed separation between his fastball and offspeed pitches, and one does not need to be a flamethrower to do that. Righetti cited Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer, who throws some fastballs in the high 70s and offspeed pitches in the high 50s. Fastball movement would help, too, and Zito has been working on a sinking fastball that he has not brought into a game.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The Beatles - Don't Let Me Down (Rooftop)

Obama and Politics of Race

FROM ANDREW SULLIVAN'S BLOG

The Right, Race, And Obama
29 Apr 2008 05:37 pm
Brendan Loy makes an obvious point:
The truth is that Obama is speaking to black people, too -- he's speaking to everyone -- and he is sending a very clear message: enough with the bullshit. Haven't conservatives been waiting for a black leader to do that for, like, forever?
This is the promise of the Obama candidacy, encapsulated and made real. Obama is urging blacks to leave behind, once and for all, the politics of conspiratorial victimhood -- the politics of Jeremiah Wright and, although Obama can't afford politically to say so explicitly, of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton -- and embrace the politics of unity and hope and, ultimately, self-empowerment.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Pearl Jam - Corduroy (Bridge School)

Pearl Jam (1996 Bridge School). This is a slow acoustic version of "Corduroy". INCREDIBLE VERSION. AGAIN, YOU CAN FIND THIS VERSION THROUGH ITUNES (BRIDGE SCHOOL COMPILATION).

Our President

IT'S AMAZING HOW THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA CAN PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT THEY FEEL IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW. AND WE JUST GO ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

Quote of the Day

By PEGGY NOONAN

I think it is a manifestation of dislike for and disappointment in Mr. Bush. It is a turning away that is a turning back. It is a looking back to conservatism when conservatism was clear, knew what it was, was grounded in the facts of the world.

HERE'S THE LINK - - http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html

Hillary Strangelove

FROM ANDREW SULLIVAN
Imagine the fuss if Barack Obama had pledged to "totally obliterate" Iran if it attacked Israel. He'd be regarded as green, unready for the presidency, prone to hyperbole, untested and unvetted. If his comment had rattled key allies, from Saudi Arabia to Britain, the critics would have pounced. And yet Senator Clinton's extreme rhetoric in the Philly debate was barely noted by the media. And some say she gets no respec.

GLOBE EDITORIAL
Hillary Strangelove
April 27, 2008

AMERICANS have learned to take with a grain of salt much of the rhetoric in a campaign like the current Democratic donnybrook between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Still, there are some red lines that should never be crossed. Clinton did so Tuesday morning, the day of the Pennsylvania primary, when she told ABC's "Good Morning America" that, if she were president, she would "totally obliterate" Iran if Iran attacked Israel.

This foolish and dangerous threat was muted in domestic media coverage. But it reverberated in headlines around the world.

Responding with understatement to a question in the British House of Lords, the foreign minister responsible for Asia, Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, said of Clinton's implication of a mushroom cloud over Iran: "While it is reasonable to warn Iran of the consequences of it continuing to develop nuclear weapons and what those real consequences bring to its security, it is probably not prudent in today's world to threaten to obliterate any other country and in many cases civilians resident in such a country."

FIND THE ARTICLE AT - http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2008/04/27/hillary_strangelove/

Sending Sexy Back

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS DRAFT WILL TURN OUT.

Sending Sexy Back
John Crumpacker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, April 28, 2008
If ever a team had an un-sexy NFL draft, it's the 49ers.
A mere six picks overall, starting way down at 29 in the first round, led to this:
-- A versatile defensive lineman who probably will become a starter.
-- An offensive guard who eventually could be a starter.
-- A cornerback who might not be good enough to play corner.
-- A backup center.
-- A wide receiver with an arrest on his record and an indelible memory of being pepper sprayed.
-- A linebacker chosen for his value on special teams and his ability to block kicks.
Legions of people rely on far less to put them to sleep every night.
Nevertheless, general manager Scot McCloughan, who made the call on each pick and naturally believes in his new guys, said they make the club better.

Find the rest of the article here - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/27/SPVN10CSUG.DTL

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Oasis - Wonderwall (acoustic)

RELEASED IN 1995. A CUELLAR FAVORITE. THIS IS THE BEST VERSION OF THE SONG! HANDS DOWN. IT'S SUNG BY NOEL GALLAGHER (OASIS) WHO ACTUALLY WROTE THE SONG. THE VERSION YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH IS SUNG BY HIS BROTHER, LIAM (OASIS). THE TITLE "WONDERWALL" COMES FROM GEORGE HARRISON WHO DID A SOUNDTRACK IN 1968 (AS A BEATLE) FOR A MOVIE CALLED "WONDERWALL." JUST A LITTLE BEATLE FACT FOR YOU GUYS.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Working for Peanuts: Your Pay vs. Barry Zito

CUT AND PASTE THIS LINK - - http://www.sfgate.com/webdb/zitopay/

FROM THE CHRONCILE.
Ever wonder just how under-paid you are? Consider this: The salary of Giants pitcher Barry Zito -- who's currently 0-5 for the season -- is $14.5 million this year. How many years would it take for you to make what Zito makes in one year? And most importantly, just how many orders of garlic fries does that buy? Select your annual pay range from the dropdown menu below and see how you score. (Note: Garlic fries calculation is based on gross pay; all results are approximations.)

Thursday, April 24, 2008

The Daily Show - Clinton's Primary Message

ANOTHER HILARIOUS ONE!

Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining

A VERY GOOD SONG FROM A VERY GOOD BAND. ITS ALSO ONE OF AVA'S FAVE'S. AND OF COURSE THIS IS THE SONG WE USE TO CALM ZAK DOWN. HE'S MELLO. LEAVE HIM ALONE :). -CUELLAR

Race Matters

WHY IS OBAMA UNABLE TO CLOSE THE DEAL? I DO THINK RACE MATTERS. BUT, ITS ALSO THE SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR MANY YEARS. A SYSTEM THAT IS SET UP TO RESIST CHANGE. DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN. HOW IN THE HELL IS SHE STILL ALIVE? SHE'S THE FRICKEN HORROR MOVIE THAT NEVER ENDS! READ THIS BLOG ENTRY FROM ANDREW SULLIVAN. A LITTLE DOSE OF REALITY FOR ALL OBAMA SUPPORTERS INCLUDING MYSELF! -CUELLAR

Race Matters -
24 Apr 2008 02:38 pm

Andrew Sullivan
I think all of us who once dismissed the fashionable view around the world that a black man would have a real problem becoming an American president have had a learning experience these past few weeks. I don't believe that racism explains all of it at all. To my mind, the kind of tactics deployed against someone like Obama were deployed against Kerry and Gore and Clinton. Class and gender and age also weighed in the balance. And the fear of another Carter has motivated some. But the insane hysteria over Wright, the racist incidents in Pennsylvania that are only now being aired fully, the "Hussein" and "Muslim" memes, the sense of white entitlement that is so embedded in the Clintons that they don't even fully see it: you have to be blind not to see the impact of race. Imagine if John Edwards had achieved what Obama has achieved. Imagine if he had won more delegates, votes and states than Clinton. Would Clinton have ever offered him the veep slot? Of course, race has affected this campaign, if only because the white entitlement that infuses the Clintons is invisible to most.
I still believe a black president is possible in America. Within another generation, it is far more conceivable than it would have been a generation ago. But I also now understand better why it will be an almighty struggle. And why neither Republicans nor Democrats have completely clean hands in this.

Brothers Team Up To Create 100-Mile-Per-Gallon Car

IF THESE GUYS CAN DO IT . . . WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

DU PAGE COUNTY, Ill. (CBS) ― With gas prices seeming to go up every single day, some people are more determined than ever to find different, more cost effective ways to get around.

As CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports, the Ewert brothers have a rather advanced science project. But instead of a typical dry ice experiment, Chris and Andrew used batteries and a charger to make their hybrid Toyota Prius get 100 miles per gallon.

"My brother and I built this, and car companies should be able to do it, too," Chris Ewert, an electric vehicle enthusiast, said.

LINK TO THE FULL ARTICLE - http://cbs2chicago.com/local/efficient.car.gas.2.707134.html

Daily Show - "Exit: Strategy"

THIS IS FRICKEN HILARIOUS!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Bob Dylan's 49th Beard

JEFF TWEEDY OF WILCO SINGING "BOB DYLAN'S 49TH BEARD." GREAT SONG! CHECK OUT THE VERSION FROM THE BRIDGE SCHOOL BENEFIT ALBUM (ONLY THROUGH ITUNES).

Niner Fix

49er Insider
Matt Maiocco

Roger relayed a telling story about the priorities of the 49ers, circa 1983. During Roger's first training camp, coach Bill Walsh gave the team a night off from meetings. Roger said he was ready to unwind and have some fun.

"I wanted to know where the party was that night," Roger said. "I picked the worst guy- and the best guy- to ask about a party. I went to Ronnie Lott.

"I asked him, Where's the party? He looked at me for a second as if he couldn't believe what I was asking. A frown came across his face and he shot back, 'We didn't draft you here to party, we drafted you to help us get back to the Super Bowl! Instead of partying you better have your butt in your Dorm studying your play book tonight and be ready for practice in the morning.'

"Trust me," Roger said, "I stayed in my dorm.

Recipe for a son starts with daily bowl of cereal

VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE. I THINK SOME OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS SHOULD READ THIS ARTICLE!

From The Times
April 23, 2008

Recipe for a son starts with daily bowl of cereal
Lewis Smith, Science Reporter (timesonline.co.uk)

Breakfasting on Shredded Wheat or cornflakes has been found to increase dramatically a woman’s chances of having sons instead of daughters. Up to 59 per cent of women who get pregnant after eating high-energy breakfasts end up giving birth to a son.
By contrast, researchers have found, only 43 per cent of women who always skipped breakfast before conceiving managed to produce boys.
When food consumption is considered across the whole day the pattern is repeated, with 56 per cent of women eating high-energy food having sons. Of the women on low-energy diets, only 45 per cent had boys.
The findings, the first direct evidence that what is on the menu can influence gender, suggest that preoccupation with dieting is increasing the proportion of baby girls.
Scientists said that the discovery of a link between calories and gender may explain why it is that in the past 40 years there has been a small but steady decline in the proportion of boys born in the developed world.

This article can be found on the web at
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3799254.ece

Too much politics dries the soul of the idealist.

ANOTHER TWO MONTHS OF ME OBSESSING OVER THIS WILL MAKE MY WIFE SCREAM!

Why Hillary Makes My Wife Scream

by TOM HAYDEN (The Nation Magazine)

Since no one in the party leadership seems able or willing to intervene against this self-destructive downward spiral, perhaps progressives need to consider responding in the only way politicians sometimes understand. If they can't hear us screaming at the television sets, we can send a message that the Clintons are acting as if they prefer John McCain to Barack Obama. And follow it up with another message: if Clinton doesn't immediately cease her path of destruction, millions of young voters and black voters may not send checks, may not knock on doors, and may not even vote for her if she becomes the nominee. That's not a threat, that's the reality she is creating.

This article can be found on the web at
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080505/hayden

Clinton has gained a whopping 5 delegates'

FROM ANDREW SULLIVAN


23 Apr 2008 01:08 pm
In the last month Clinton has gained a whopping 5 delegates' advantage (including supers) over Obama. The current scored-card is 1,716 to 1,588. On March 18, the differential was 133. It's now 128.

Meet John 'Dubya' McCain

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT FROM THE MEDIA THE NEXT 7 MONTHS.

If you like George Bush's foreign policy, you'll love the GOP's current candidate.
By J. Peter Scoblic
April 23, 2008 (LATIMES.COM)
John McCain knows a lot less about foreign policy than he'd have us believe. This, anyway, is the impression that's been growing in recent weeks, not least because of a much-discussed New York Times story published recently that painted a growing divide in his campaign between "pragmatists" and "neoconservatives." The candidate reportedly lacks firm ideological convictions, so a battle for "McCain's soul" may be in the offing.

CUT AND PAST LINK FOR THE FULL ARTICLE - - http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-scoblic23apr23,0,1512231.story

The Low Road to Victory

AN EXCERPT FROM TODAY'S NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL. OBAMA WILL NEED THE SUPERDELEGATES TO COME OUT NOW TO STOP THE CLINTON SPIN!


April 23, 2008
Editorial
NYTIMES.COM
The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it.

Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it does not work. It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.

HERE'S THER REST OF ARTICLE - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/opinion/23wed1.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The audacity of Bill Cosby’s black conservatism

The audacity of Bill Cosby’s black conservatism (EXCERPT)

by Ta-Nehisi Coates (ATLANTIC.COM)

Clutching a cordless mic, Cosby paced the front of the church, shifting between prepared remarks and comic ad-libs. A row of old black men, community elders, sat behind him, nodding and grunting throaty affirmations. The rest of the church was in full call-and-response mode, punctuating Cosby’s punch lines with laughter, applause, or cries of “Teach, black man! Teach!”

He began with the story of a black girl who’d risen to become valedictorian of his old high school, despite having been abandoned by her father. “She spoke to the graduating class and her speech started like this,” Cosby said. “‘I was 5 years old. It was Saturday and I stood looking out the window, waiting for him.’ She never said what helped turn her around. She never mentioned her mother, grandmother, or great-grandmother.”

“Understand me,” Cosby said, his face contorted and clenched like a fist. “Men? Men? Men! Where are you, men?”

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE FULL ARTICLE. YOU HAVE TO CUT AND PASTE. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200805/cosby

Obama's middle road on abortion?

HERE'S AN EXCERPT FROM AN ARTICLE (SLATE.COM) DISCUSSING THE ROUTE OBAMA SHOULD TAKE ON THE ISSUE OF ABORTION. HERE'S THE FULL ARTICLE http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/convictions/archive/2008/04/19/resolving-obama-s-paradox-constructively-meeting-the-abortion-clash-of-absolutes.aspx

By embracing a proposal equivalent to what the leaders of his own counsel of advisors have already endorsed: the so-called 95-10 legislation. This idea satisfies neither side of an absolutist clash completely - how could it and still be common ground? - yet it strives for a 95% reduction in abortion over 10 years, not by legal mandate that would contradict the Senator's belief that this decision must remain that of the mother, but instead by ensuring that no woman faces such decision without having already had the benefit of responsible information about abstinence and contraception. In the event of a pregnancy, the proposal would supply objective information about fetal development, the proper guidance of a parent if the prospective mother is a minor, and the public's assurance of necessary economic support to carry the pregnancy to term, and if it be the mother's informed choice, the adoption of her child.

Monday, April 21, 2008

The Daily Show - Obama's Elitism and Hillary's Shot!

Eddie Vedder - Guaranteed

Andrew Sullivan - Quote of the Day

From my favorite blog andrewsullivan.com.

Quote of the day

"If Barack Obama or anyone else really cares to know what I think, I will simplify it all down to this. The landmark political fact of our time is the replacement of our middle-class republic by a plutocracy. If some candidate has a scheme to reverse this trend, they've got my vote, whether they prefer Courvoisier or beer bongs spiked with cough syrup. I don't care whether they enjoy my books, or would rather have every scrap of paper bearing my writing loaded into a C-47 and dumped into Lake Michigan. If it will help restore the land of relative equality I was born in, I'll fly the plane myself," - Thomas A. Frank, Wall Street Journal.